Erasable Loop Scheduler

ABSTRACT

An erasable loop scheduler with a board and a loop system is disclosed. The board has a first and second side, each having a viewing pane that displays a different portion of the loop system. The loop system includes a grid system that can be configured like a calendar. A user can write out a full month of dates and appointments on the first side of the board and another full month of dates and appointments on the second side of the board. Once a row of events has passed, the loop system can be advanced, at which point the row of past events moves to the second side of the board. The user may then erase that row of events and replace with upcoming dates and appointments. Alternatively, the user may keep the row of events for future reference.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This present application claims the benefit of priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/855,799 filed May 24, 2013,the entire contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated byreference into the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to the field of calendars. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to an erasable loop schedulethat allows a user to have a continuous calendar.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

As is known to those skilled in the art, a variety of personal calendarsis available that allow a user to keep track of daily appointments.Because of the cycle of a calendar year, a traditional calendar can onlybe used for one year so that the days of the month will accurately lineup. As such, various embodiments of perpetual calendars have beenproduced such that a user can use the calendar for more than one year'stime.

Many perpetual calendars feature a month-long grid. Some configurationsallow a user to physically write the days of the week in while othersprovide spaces that are mechanically moved to change the month and days.An issue with configurations featuring a month-long grid is that a usercannot easily erase portions of the grid without erasing the entiregrid. For instance, after a week passes, a user would have to erase thetop line of text and copy each row up one line at a time to keep a fullupcoming months appointments visible. Additionally a user who decides togo though the tedious process of erasing and rewriting an upcoming monthmay later realize that they wish to review a previous week'sinformation. This will be impossible if the schedule has been erased.

Some common perpetual calendars feature a month-long grid with aperturesthat display the month and the days. This means that the user does nothave to write in the month and days when using the perpetual calendar.In operation, however, these types of perpetual calendars often involvecomplicated mechanical systems that can easily break and are difficult,if not impossible, to fix. Also, these types of calendars only display amonth of time and do not allow a user to subsequently look at a past orfuture month.

What is needed, therefore, is a perpetual calendar that allows a user toview a full month of appointments without having to continuously rewriteportions of the schedule to keep a full month's information. Further,what is also needed is a perpetual calendar that can display more than asingle month of time, for instance, a calendar that can keep record ofprevious appointments or schedule additional appointments in the future.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

By way of summary, the present invention is directed to an erasable loopscheduler. A primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatusthat allows for continuous use of a calendar. One aspect of theapparatus is a board with at least one viewing pane. A second aspect ofthe apparatus is a loop system that wraps around the board such that theloop system can continually be looped around the board. A third aspectof the apparatus is a grid system in conjunction with the loop system,with at least a portion of the grid system displayed through the atleast one viewing pane of the board. The apparatus includes a means foradvancing the loop system.

The grid system can have a number of configurations, for instance acalendar. Similarly, the grid system may have seven rows across by fiverows high. The grid system could also be seven rows across by three rowshigh through ten rows high. The grid system may be printed on a flexibleplastic band that can be written on with an erasable medium. A user canthen write dates in the grid system to correspond with the days of amonth.

The board may have a first viewing pane on a first side and a secondviewing pane located on a second side opposite the first side. The firstviewing pane can display a first portion of the grid system, forinstance, a first month, and the second viewing pane can display asecond portion of the grid system, for instance, a second month. Forinstance, the first viewing pane can display a current month, and thesecond viewing pane can display a previous month. This allows a user toreview previous appointments and events. Alternatively, the firstviewing pane can display a current month, and the second viewing panecan display an upcoming month. This allows the user to review two monthsof upcoming events.

The board may also include a plurality of mounting holes. For instance,the mounting holes may be configured such that the board can be mountedwithin a three-ring binder. Alternatively, the holes may be configuredto allow the board to be mounted to a wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of using anerasable loop scheduler. First, a user will write the dates on atransparent overlay that wraps around a board and covers a first sideand a second side of the board. Beneath the transparent overlay is agrid system. Once the corresponding days of the month are written ontothe overlay, the user writes appointments corresponding to theappropriate dates. Next, the user grasps the transparent overlay andslides it along the board once a horizontal row of dates has passed.

The method may continue as the user flips the board over. On theopposite side of the board, a second portion of the grid system isviewable that includes previously-recorded information that has beenslid from the first side of the board to the second side of the board.The user can erase expired dates and appointments when desired and writenew dates and appointments on the erased portion of the grid system.

Another object of the invention is to provide an erasable loop schedulerwith a board with a first viewing pane and a second viewing pane, a gridsystem, and a means of advancing the grid system. The grid system is ona flexible loop system that is fitted around the board. As a result, thefirst viewing pane displays one side of the grid system and the secondviewing pane displays a second side of the grid system. The erasableloop scheduler can be advanced such that the user may reposition thegrid system to view upcoming dates in the first viewing pane, and pastdates are repositioned to be viewed in the second viewing pane.

The flexible loop system may be made of a plastic material. The gridsystem itself may be configured like a calendar, for example, a calendarfor one complete month. Ideally, the grid system will have a pluralityof cells that does not contain any written material.

The erasable loop scheduler may include picture-hanging hardware suchthat the calendar can be hung up. Alternatively, the erasable loopscheduler may include magnets such that it can be mounted to magneticitems.

These and other aspects and objects of the present invention will bebetter appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction withthe following description and the accompanying drawings. It should beunderstood, however, that the following description, while indicatingpreferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way ofillustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications maybe made within the scope of the present invention without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting thepresent invention, and of the construction and operation of typicalmechanisms provided with the present invention, will become more readilyapparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting,embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a partof this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate thesame elements in the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an erasable loop scheduler ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the erasable loop scheduler ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front elevation view of the erasable loop schedulerof FIG. 1 where a user is writing in dates;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front elevation view of the erasable loop schedulerof FIG. 3 where a user is writing in appointments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the erasable loop schedulerwhen the scheduler has been flipped to a reverse side;

FIG. 6 illustrates a front elevation view of the erasable loop schedulerwhere a user slides the loop so that a new row of information isviewable on the first side; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of using the erasable loop scheduler.

In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which isillustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted tofor the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the inventionbe limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understoodthat each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operatein a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, thewords “connected”, “attached”, or terms similar thereto are often used.They are not limited to direct connection but include connection throughother elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalentby those skilled in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention and the various features and advantageous detailsthereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limitingembodiments described in detail in the following description.

1. System Overview

The proposed invention is an erasable loop scheduler stretched over arigid board to create a rotating writing surface that is an improvementover existing dry/wet erasable white board calendars currently on themarket. The prior art includes other perpetual calendars that use acontinuous loop or belt. The prior art uses a belt with printed numberand names of the months that are mechanically rotated or cycled toappear through apertures in the writing surface. The purpose of this isto save the user the task of writing and rewriting the dates and monthson a dry erase calendar. The proposed invention uses the loop or belt asthe writing surface without numbers or months. This means that thescheduled information is rotated and does not include any preprintedinformation. Additionally, the proposed invention can be much simpler inoperation, as it can be operated in one embodiment with no mechanicswhatsoever, but rather is rotated manually using only a user's fingers.

The erasable loop scheduler consists of a smooth surfaced plastic loopstretched loosely over a rigid board, allowing the loop to rotate freelyas the user sees fit. The rigid board can be made of cardboard, wood,plastic, metal or any combination thereof. The board may include a framemade of any number of materials. The board may have holes, hooks,magnets, or other mounting mechanisms to hang the scheduler on a varietyof surfaces according to the size and style of the erasable loopscheduler. The loop is made of an erasable smooth-surfaced flexibleplastic or similar material. By making the surface out of a flexibleloop or belt of erasable plastic, the information on the surface can beshifted so the user does not have to rewrite the information as theweeks progress. A grid system is printed on the flexible loop or beltdividing the surface into cells, with the most common configurationbeing that of a calendar. If used as a calendar, once the current weekat the top is finished, the loop is shifted upward bringing the new weekto the top and thus still having at least a month's worth of weeks stillin view. This saves the user time by not having to rewrite three to fourweeks of data to be able to utilize the whole calendar. This alsoeliminates errors that may occur in the rewriting process. The schedulermay also be mounted to the wall or other objects, such as arefrigerator. Operating the scheduler is done by pivoting the unit awayfrom the wall on the hooks or, in the case of magnetic mounting,removing it from a steel surface, i.e., a refrigerator, and shifting theloop in the desired direction by the operator's fingers.

Another benefit is that the user has the option of retaining the oldinformation rather than erasing it once the old information moves to thesecond side. As the information is rotated to the back of the calendar,the user need only flip it over and consult the past week's notations.Alternatively, the user has the option of doubling the time to scheduleout. In this case, the user flips the calendar over to use the secondside for a future month's scheduling. For example, the front displaysthe month of March and the second displays the month of April. Whenhinged at the top, as it would be hanging on hooks, the scheduler couldbe flipped such that the written information is shown upright. When theloop is shifted to the first side, however, the information would bedisplayed right side up.

2. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring, initially to FIG. 1, a perpetual calendar comprising anerasable loop scheduler 20 is provided. The erasable loop scheduler 20has a board 30 that is substantially flat and rigid. As such, the board30 has a first side 32 and a second side 34, each of which can be viewedby flipping the board 30 over. The first side 32 has a viewing pane 70through which material mounted to the board 30 can be viewed. The secondside 34 may have a second viewing pane 72 that can display additionalinformation. The erasable loop scheduler 20 can be dimensioned such thatit is small and portable such that it can be easily transported.Alternatively, the erasable loop scheduler 20 may be large andconfigured to hang on a wall. In any configuration, the erasable loopscheduler 20 may include any number of ways to mount the board 30 to awall or other object. For instance, the board 30 may have mounting holes36 that allow the erasable loop scheduler 20 to be secured. In one suchconfiguration, the mounting holes 36 may be configured to fit into astandard three-ring binder 42 as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, themounting holes 36 may be used to attach the erasable loop scheduler 20to a wall. Also, the board 30 may have a mounting system 38 such aspicture-hanging hardware that allows the erasable loop scheduler 20 tobe hung like a picture as can best be seen in FIG. 6. For instance, themounting system 38 could be any combination of hooks, adhesive, or anyother picture-hanging hardware as known in the art. As shown in FIG. 6,magnets 40 may also be used to attach the erasable loop scheduler 20 toother materials. The erasable loop scheduler 20 may also have an outerframe 80 connected to the board 30 for increased aesthetic appeal andoverall strength to the erasable loop scheduler 20.

A loop system 52 wraps around the board 30 as can best be seen in FIG.2, which shows an exploded view of the erasable loop scheduler 20.Preferably, the loop system 52 is made of a flexible material. The loopsystem 52 should be tight fitting but movable around the board 30. Forinstance, the loop system 52 can be slid around the board 30 by a user'sfingers. Alternatively, cranks, knobs, or motorized devices can be usedto advance the loop system 52 about the board 30. Because the loopsystem 52 is continually movable about the board 30, a user canperpetually use the same loop system 52 to record information.

Still looking to FIG. 2, the loop system 52 may be a flexible plasticband which has a grid system 50 printed onto the loop system 52.Alternatively, the loop system 52 may be made of a grid system 50printed on standard paper and then laminated or covered in a transparentoverlay 22 made of flexible, plastic material. In either configuration,the outer surface of the loop system 52 may accept an erasable medium 60for instance ink. This allows for continued use of the same grid system50. Preferably, the grid system 50 consists of a plurality of verticaland horizontal lines that creates a number of cells 51, similar to thatof a traditional calendar. For instance, the grid system 50 could haveseven vertical columns 65 to represent the seven days of the week.Additionally, the grid system 50 can have a number of horizontal rows63, for instance, five rows 63 for one month, or ten rows 63 for twomonths. Other variations on the number of rows 63 could used to allowfor smaller, more portable versions of the erasable loop scheduler 20,for instance, three rows 63.

To collapse the erasable loop scheduler 20 from the exploded view, theloop system 52 can be threaded through two openings 74 a, 74 b thatallow for easy movement of the loop system 52 about the board 30. Theframe 80 is then attached to the board 30.

In operation, a first portion 54 of the grid system 50 of the erasableloop scheduler 20 is displayed on the first side 32 of the board 30, ascan best be seen in FIG. 3. For instance, the first portion 54 of thegrid system 50 may be a first month 90. As shown, the user will writedates 62 on the grid system 50. More specifically, the dates 62 shouldbe written onto the loop system 52 on which the grid system 50 isprinted. A first month 90 of dates 62 will be recorded on the gridsystem 50 located on the viewing pane 70 of the first side 32 of theboard 30. All information written onto the grid system 50 will ideallybe in an erasable medium, for instance, erasable ink. Next, a user canwrite corresponding appointments 64 onto the grid system 50 displayed ona viewing pane 70 of the first side 32 of the board 30 as shown in FIG.4.

The board 30 can be flipped over, as best seen in FIG. 5, to display asecond side 34 of the board 30 that has a second portion 56 of the gridsystem 50, for instance, a second month 92. This allows a user to writecorresponding dates 62 and appointments 64 onto the second viewing pane72 of the grid system 50 on the second side 34 of the board 30. The usercan use the two-month display system in a number of ways. For instance,the first side 32 of the board 30 can be used to display an upcomingmonth, and the second side 34 of the board 30 can display a previousmonth. This allows a user to review previous appointments 64 and eventsafter they have passed. Alternatively, the first side 32 of the board 30can display an upcoming month, and the second side 34 of the board 30can display a following month. This allows the user to review two monthsof upcoming events. Once a user no longer needs a row 63 of previouslyrecorded information 66, its contents may be erased and replaced with anupcoming week of material.

FIG. 6 illustrates one means for advancing the grid system 50 about theerasable loop scheduler. Once a row 63 of dates 62 has passed on thefirst side 32 of the board 30, the user may grasp the edges of the loopsystem 52 and slide the loop system 52 such that the row 63 of pastdates 62 is moved from the first side 32 of the board 30 to the secondside 34 of the board 30 through the opening 74 a. In turn, the top rowfrom the second side 34 of the board 30 will be moved from the secondside 34 of the board 30 to the first side 32 through the opening 74 b.The configuration of the openings 74 a, 74 b in conjunction with theloop system 52 allows the loop system to continually be advanced fromthe first side 32 of the board 30 to the second side 34 or from thesecond side 34 to the first side 32. Alternative means of advancing thegrid system 50 could also be employed, for instance, use of knobs,cranks, motorized devices, or other means that would be known in theart. This allows a user to always keep a full month of upcoming dates 62available on the first side 32 of the board 30. The user can then flipthe board 30 over and view the second portion 56 of the grid system 50.The user may either keep the row 63 of past dates 62 for future review,or erase the row 63 and replace it with an upcoming week of dates 62.

Additionally, a method of using the erasable loop scheduler 20 isprovided in FIG. 7. The first step is writing dates on a transparentoverlay that wraps around a board that covers a first side and a secondside of the board, the transparent overlay having a grid system beneath100. Next, a user writes appointments corresponding to the appropriatedates on the transparent overlay 102. The transparent overlay can thenbe grasped and slid around the board when a horizontal row of dates haspassed 104. In certain configurations, the board can then be flippedover 110. A second portion of the grid system can be observed which maycontain previously recorded information that has been slid from thefirst side of the board to the second side of the board 112. At thispoint, the user can keep past appointments or erase them 120. If erased,the user may then write in new dates and appointments on the erasedportions of the grid system 122.

Although the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out thepresent invention is disclosed above, practice of the present inventionis not limited thereto. It will be manifest that various additions,modifications, and rearrangements of the features of the presentinvention may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of theunderlying inventive concept.

For example, the grid system could be advanced by any number of ways.For instance, knobs, pulleys, or other devices could be used. Similarly,although plastic is the preferred material for the loop system, anymaterial could be used in its place. In addition, the individualcomponents need not be fabricated from the disclosed materials but couldbe fabricated from virtually any suitable materials.

Moreover, the individual components need not be formed in the disclosedshapes or assembled in the disclosed configuration, but could beprovided in virtually any shape and assembled in virtually anyconfiguration. For instance, calendars of varying shapes and sizes couldbe used, including miniature calendars that can it in a user's pocket orlarger calendars that allow for further planning beyond a two monthsystem. Furthermore, all the disclosed features of each disclosedembodiment can be combined with, or substituted for, the disclosedfeatures of every other disclosed embodiment, except where such featuresare mutually exclusive.

It is intended that the appended claims cover all such additions,modifications, and rearrangements. Expedient embodiments of the presentinvention are differentiated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An erasable loop scheduler comprising; a boardwith at least one viewing pane; a loop system that wraps around theboard; a grid system in conjunction with the loop system, a portion ofthe grid system displayed in the at least one viewing pane; and meansfor advancing the grid system around the board.
 2. The erasable loopscheduler of claim 1, wherein the grid system is configured like acalendar.
 3. The erasable loop scheduler of claim 1, wherein the gridsystem has seven cells horizontally by three to ten cells vertically. 4.The erasable loop scheduler of claim 1, wherein the grid system isprinted on the loop system, and the loop system is made of a flexibleplastic band that accepts an erasable medium.
 5. The erasable loopscheduler of claim 4, wherein a user writes dates on the flexibleplastic band.
 6. The erasable loop scheduler of claim 1, wherein theboard has a first viewing pane on a first side and a second viewing panelocated on a second side opposite the first side.
 7. The erasable loopscheduler of claim 6, wherein the board displays a first month in thefirst viewing pane and a second month in the second viewing pane.
 8. Theerasable loop scheduler of claim 7, wherein the first viewing pane isused to display a current month and the second viewing pane is used todisplay either a previous month or an upcoming month.
 9. The erasableloop scheduler of claim 1, wherein the board has a plurality of mountingholes.
 10. The erasable loop scheduler of claim 9, wherein the mountingholes are dimensioned such that the erasable loop scheduler can besecured inside a three-ring binder.
 11. The erasable loop scheduler ofclaim 9, wherein a mounting system is used for mounting the erasableloop scheduler to a wall.
 12. A method of using an erasable loopscheduler comprising: writing dates on a transparent overlay with a gridsystem beneath that wraps around and covers a first side and a secondside of a board; writing appointments corresponding to the appropriatedates on the transparent overlay; and grasping the transparent overlayand sliding it around the board when a horizontal row of dates haspassed.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:flipping the board over; and observing a portion of the grid system withpreviously recorded information that has been slid from the first sideof the board to a second side of the board.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising the steps of: erasing expired dates and appointments;and writing new dates and appointments on the erased portions of thegrid system.
 15. An erasable loop scheduler comprising: a board having afirst viewing pane and a second viewing pane; a grid system that is on aflexible loop system fitted around the board such that the first viewingpane displays one side of the grid system and the second viewing panedisplays a second side of the grid system, the grid system having asurface that receives an erasable medium; and a means of advancing thegrid system around the board such that the user may reposition the gridsystem so that the entire first viewing pane relating to future eventsis repositioned to correspond to the current date.
 16. The erasable loopscheduler of claim 15, wherein the flexible loop system is made of aplastic material.
 17. The erasable loop scheduler of claim 15, whereinthe grid system is configured like a calendar.
 18. The erasable loopscheduler of claim 15, wherein the grid system has a plurality of cellsthat does not contain written material.
 19. The erasable loop schedulerof claim 15, further comprising a mounting system for hanging thecalendar.
 20. The erasable loop scheduler of claim 15, furthercomprising a plurality of magnets for hanging the calendar.